In the spring of 2005, President Clinton announced a bold initiative to bring life-saving antiretroviral treatment to many of the millions of children worldwide infected with HIV. Through the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI), President Clinton is drawing international attention and resources to the children being left behind as HIV treatment scales up worldwide.

Since the announcement, great progress has been made: children in several countries across the developing world are receiving treatment, and pediatric HIV medications are available at price reductions of more than 50%. In July 2005, President Clinton visited Maseru, Lesotho to open a new pediatric HIV treatment site in the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital. Many children are now receiving treatment at the Bophelong Pediatric Clinic. Here are some of their stories:

Credit: Clinton Foundation View Photos from Lesotho and Mozambique

Credit: Clinton Foundation

Moipone, a lively nine-year-old, comes to the hospital with her mother, who is also HIV-positive. She is a laughing, mischievous girl, her mother’s pride and joy and a delight for the clinic staff. Moipone’s mother is also receiving antiretroviral treatment that will keep her alive and healthy to care for her little girl. The school uniform Moipone wears suggests another happy outcome: the pediatric treatment she receives will keep her healthy so she can attend school, play with her friends, and keep sharing her lovely laugh.

Quiet, soft-spoken Khobotle is 11 years old. Both of her parents have died of AIDS. She was taken in by her neighbor, who runs a community day care. Khobotle helps her guardian care for the other young children in their home. When this picture was taken, she had been on antiretroviral treatment for one month, during which her CD4 count, a measure of the health of her immune system, more than doubled. Although Khobotle’s parents were not able to access the treatment that would have saved their lives, through the kindness of her guardian, and the availability of pediatric treatment, she will have the chance to thrive.

Credit: Clinton Foundation

Credit: Clinton Foundation

Lisebo, seven years old, arrived at the clinic as a very sick little girl. A month after beginning treatment, her immune system was already starting to recover. Her mother is delighted with her progress, and reports that Lisebo has not had any problems with the medication. Like many children, she responded quickly to the treatment and showed progress almost immediately. Moipone’s, Khobotle’s, and Lisebo’s stories are not unusual. What makes their stories uncommon is that they were able to receive the life-saving medications required for them to have a healthy and longer life. There are 2.3 million children worldwide living with HIV,

nearly all of them in the developing world. Last year alone, more than half a million children died of AIDS. Treatment exists that can save these children; Moipone, Khobotle, Lisebo and the other children receiving treatment at the Bophelong Clinic are likely to reach adulthood. They are the lucky ones; treatment is currently available to only a small fraction of the children who need it. The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) is working to expand access to pediatric treatment by supporting governments as they scale up their national treatment programs to include increasing numbers of pediatric patients. The Clinton Foundation also works to reduce the cost of pediatric ARV formulations and support the training of pediatric care providers and the development of pediatric protocols.

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